WEDNESDAY 7TH JANUARY

So, an up and downy day and some additions to the Big Fat List of the Year.

Where to start?

The dogs did not get walked. The rain was torrential and it was cold and dark and it would have been a thoroughly unenjoyable process. I'm dealing with the realisation that I need to walk them more if I want their behaviour to improve - but they are so challenging to walk I don't want to. I can't just slip the lead on and pop out for 10 minutes, there is a big palaver. Which again leads me back to them needing a firm hand and some consistent dog training. I've been avoiding this or at the very best playing at training them. When I try I feel like a failure but not doing it makes me feel like a failure as well. It's on the list of Things I Know I Really Must Address.

And onto additions to the list


9. BFT GROUP

I run a butch-femme-trans group on Facebook. For groups to flourish they need someone feeding them things to talk about and kicking off conversations. I've decided I will post something every single day to try and inject some life in the group. And so I did.


10. MAKE £1000 BY SELLING YOUR STUFF

Another one of the amazing challenges on Money Saving Expert's forums - here. The idea is to liquidise your assets (or sell your junk) to clear your house and make some money. Now £1000 in a year is a tall order as I have sold most of my big ticket items already. But doing a challenge keeps you focused for the long haul - and again it's about taking tiny bites to eat a ruddy huge cake.



11. NO SPEND DAYS

If you make your lunch and have done your shopping then why are you still spending money? This one is a way of making you think about how, why and when you chose to make purchases. I'm not on the thread but there is a group on MSE that does this. For me, this is about not deciding I can't be bothered to bring a packed lunch, using the salad in my fridge, just being a little more conscious.


4. VIRTUAL POT CHALLENGE - UPDATE

I'm now running this challenge - see here. If that doesn't keep me focused then nothing will.



And onto movies - number 8 on my list. Last night I finished off 2 movies I was half way through.
The Place Beyond The Pines is a story you think is going to go one way, is going to be one thing - but it wrong foots you at every turn. It's about fathers and sons and crime and cops. It unfolds in a series of chapters and seems to avoid the storyline cliches or expectations that come with it. Thoughtful and engaging. Recommended.
By contract Elysium is all about the cliches - there are no surprises in this story of an Earth gone bad and a rich elite living in space. However, that doesn't mean it is a bad film, just that it is suffering by comparison with some of the films I've watched recently. SFX were great. It was ok. If you're a blockbustery Matt Damony like to know where you're going type of filmwatcher then you'll probably enjoy it.

All quiet on the competition front. Only a week into January though, no eed to start panicing just yet.


Dogs 1/2
Kitchen 2/2
Pot 2/2
BFT 1/1
Films - 2
NSD - 1

Not bad Nixy, not bad at all.